Boat wheel attachment



May 22, 1962 H. A. BEMIS BoAT WHEEL ATTACHMENT INVENTOR. HE'EB'E? '4-5FM/J 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1961 May 22, 1962 H. A. BEMISBOAT WHEEL ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 1961 INVENTOR.

m U M m 5 Q4 4 W W w m m United States Patent aessasz lBQAT WHEELATTACHMENT Herbert A. Bernis, 922 Albert St, Carlsbad, N. Mex. Filed Mm.24, 1961, Ser. No. 9%,258 3 Claims. (Cl. 9--l) This invention relates toa novel and improved boat wheel attachment of the type wherein thewheels are adapted to be folded into the boat when not in use.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a simpler, morepractical and lighter weight attachment of the kind indicated, which isadapted to be quickly and easily installed and removed, and which isprimarily designed to eliminate carrying or portaging of a boat and formoving a boat over short distances, rather service as an over-the-roadtrailer.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an attachment of thecharacter indicated above which comprises a frame adapted to besupported on and releasably fixed to the opposed gunwales of a boat,wheel forks hinged on brackets so as to be swingable from verticaloperative positions at the outer sides of the boat, to generallyhorizontal overlapped storage positions within the boat, and below itsgunwales, and hand-operated bolts for securing the forks in operativepositions and in storage positions.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an attachment ofthe character indicated above which is composed of a small number ofuncomplex and easily assembled parts, and which can be made in ruggedand serviceable forms at relatively low cost.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form ofthe invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspsctive view, partly in cross section,showing an attachment of the invention installed on a boat, with thewheel forks locked in opera- Iive position;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken onthe line 3--3 of FIGURE 1, a wheel fork bracket being shown in operativeposition in full lines and in storage position in phantom lines;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical transverse section, like -FIG- URE 2, but showingthe wheel forks locked in storage positions within the boat; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of FIG URE 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, the numeral generallydesignates a canoe whose hull includes a bottom wall 12, upstandingsideswalls 14 having gunwales 16 extending horizontally along theirupper edges, and longitudinally spaced first and second horizontalthwarts l8 and 20, respectively, extending between the hull sidewallsl4, substantial on a level with the gunwales 16,

The illustrated attachment, generally designated 22, comprises ahorizontal open frame 24 which is composed of similar but reversedparallel first and second angle iron cross members 26 and 28,respectively, having horizontal flanges 30, which bear upon the uppersurfaces of the first and second thwarts 18 and 20, respectively, andpendant vertical flanges 32, which bear against the facing sides of thethwarts.

The frame 24 further comprises longitudinal side members, of openV-shaped shape, which are composed of first lengthwise adjustableelements 34 and second lengthwise adjustable elements 36. The firstadjustable elements 34 comprise abbreviated angle iron sections 38having horizontal flanges 4% and pendant vertical flanges 42, thevertical flanges 42 being at the laterally inward edges of thehorizontal flanges 40. The abbreviated sections 38 are fixed, insuitable manner, as by means of welds 44, to the vertical flange 32 ofthe first cross members 26, at locations spaced inwardly from the outerends of the member 26, at substantially forty-five degree angles.

The elements 34' further comprise angle iron sections 46 which arelonger than the sections 38 and have horizontal flanges 48 overlying thehorizontal flanges 4t}, and pendant vertical flanges 50 which bearagainst the laterally inward sides of the vertical flanges 42 of theabbreviated sections 38. The horizontal flanges 43 extend, at one end,beyond the vertical flanges 5th and bear upon the first cross member 26,and at their other ends beyond the other ends of the vertical flange5t). Spaced bolts 52 traverse the vertical flanges 5t) and 42, andspaced bolts 54 traverse the horizontal flanges 48 and 40.

The second frame side member elements 36 comprise components similar tothose of the first elements 34, which are designated by similar, primednumerals, the abbreviated angle iron sections 38' being similarly fixed,at one end, to the second frame cross member 28. As shown in FIGURE 5,the second elements 36 are preferably somewhat longer than the firstelements 34, to accommodate off-set wheel forks.

The adjacent ends of the horizontal flange 48 of the sections as and 46of the elements 34 and 36 are fixed upon the gunwales 16, by means ofbolts 56 and 56', re spectively, extending through the gunwales, and thevertical flanges of the sections 38 and 46 are joined together byintervening or connecting portions 58. One of the intervening portions58, as shown in FIGURE 2, has a downward extension 60 which is providedwith a centered opening 62 which is registered with the bore of a nut64, fixed to the laterally outward side of the extension 60. The otherintervening portion 58 is devoid of an extension.

Fixed on the upper edges of and extending laterally outwardly from theintervening portions 58 are horizontal support plates .66 in which areformed openings 68, centered at the outer ends of the plates 6-6, whichare registered with the bores of nuts fixed to the undersides of theplates. Suitably fixed, as indicated at 72, to the laterally inwardedges of the support plates 66, are pairs of longitudinally spaced hingeears 74 between which and to which hinge pins 76 are fixed. Hinge bowls78 are journalled on the hinge pins 76, between the cars 74, which arefixed on the laterally inward ends of flat inner arms 8% of L-shapedbrackets 82, which have outer flat arms S4 disposed at right angles tothe inner arms 80. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the inner bracket arms80 are horizontal and the outer arms 84 are vertical, in the operativepositions of the brackets 82.

Wheel forks 86 have inner legs 88 fixed at their upper ends, in suitablemanner to the laterally outward sides of the outer vertical bracket arms84-, and outer legs 90, and suitable ground-engaging wheels 9'2 aredisposed between the fork legs and are journalled on axles 94 extendingbetween the lower ends of the fork legs.

The inner horizontal arms 89 of the brackets 82 are traversed by handoperated locking screws 96 having collars 9'3, the screws 96 beingpassed downwardly through openings '99 in line with the nuts 70 on thesupport plates 66 and threaded in the nuts 70, and are adapted to beturned down, by means of enlarged diameter heads 100 on their upperends, so as to lock the arms 80 of the brackets 82 down upon the supportplates 66, so as to lock the wheel forks 86 in their operativepositions, wherein the wheels 92 are perpendicular to the ground G, andspaced from the outer sides of the canoe sidewalls 14, as shown inFIGURE 2. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 5, the wheel fork legs have lowerend portions 102 which are offset rearwardly at a rearward and downwardangle relative to the perpendicular, so that the wheels 92 traitproperly, and so that, as shown in FIGURE 5, the wheels 92 are centeredbetween the first and second frame cross members 26 and 28, when foldedto storage position within a boat, such as the canoe 10, given the extralengths of the second elements 36 of the frame side members.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the inner arm 80 of the bracket 82 remote from theextension 6t), is slightly longer than the corresponding arm of thebracket adjacent to the extension 60, so that the wheel fork related tothe remote bracket 82, when folded first into the canoe 10, uponwithdrawal of the locking screw 96, from the related supporting plate66, can be positioned at a downward angle wherein its wheel 92 restsupon the bottom wall 12 of the canoe 10. The other wheel fork is thenfolded into the canoe, upon removal of its locking screw 96 from therelated supporting plate 66, so that its wheel 92 rests upon the outerarm 84- of the bracket of the firstfolded wheel fork, with the wheels 92axially aligned with each other. One of the locking screws 96 is thenthreaded, in a laterally outward direction, through the opening 62 inthe inner arm 80 of the related bracket 82 and through the nut 64 of theextension 60, whereby the upper wheel assembly is rigidly held down inits recumbent position, upon the lower wheel assembly. Where the wheels92 are provided with pneumatic tires 104, the tire of the upper wheelassembly bears upon the outer arm 84 of the related bracket 82, and thetire of the lower wheel assembly bears upon the canoe bottom wall 12, sothat when the screw 96 threaded into the extension 60 is properlytightened, the tires are under compression and a secure and non-rattlingsecurement of the wheel assemblies is obtained.

It will be understood that the herein described attachment can beinstalled on boats other than canoes, and boats which do not havethwarts. In the latter case, the cross members 26 and 28 would besecured directly to the boat hull sides.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form ofthe invention, it is to be understood that the invention is notnecessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in thestructure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof arecontemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined bythe claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a boat hull having a bottom wall,

upstanding sidewalls, gunwales extending along the upper edges of thesidewalls, and longitudinally spaced horizontal first and second thwartsextending between said sidewalls, an open frame having first and secondcross members severally extending along and supportably engaged with'thefirst and second thwarts, said frame having longitudinal side membersextending between and fixed to said first and second cross members, saidside members being supportably engaged with related gunwales, bracketshinged on longitudinal horizontal axes on said side members, and wheelforks fixed to said brackets, and releasable means for locking thebrackets to the side members in operative positions wherein the forksare located laterally outwardly of the hull sidewalls in verticalpositions, said locking means being releasable to enable the wheel forksto be swung into the boat hull to storage positions, said frame sidemembers having fixed horizontal support plates located intermediatetheir ends, said brackets being L-shaped and having inner normallyhorizontal arms and outer normally pendant vertical arms, said innerarms being hinged on the support plates and the wheel forks being fixedto the outer arms, said inner arms bearing upon the support plates inthe operative positions of the brackets, said locking means comprisingholes in the inner bracket arms alignable with nuts on said supportplates, and removable locking screws threaded through the holes and thenuts, one of said frame side members having a downward extension havinga nut thereon, a locking screw being adapted to be threaded through thehole in the inner arm of the bracket adjacent to said extension andthrough the nut on the extension for holding a wheel fork related tosaid adjacent bracket down upon the wheel fork related to the otherbracket when the wheel forks are disposed within the boat hull instorage positions.

2. In combination, a boat hull having a bottom wall, upstandingsidewalls, gunwales extending along the upper edges of the sidewalls,and longitudinally spaced horizontal first and second thwarts extendingbetween said sidewalls, an open frame having first and second crossmembers severally extending along and supportably engaged with the firstand second thwarts, said frame having longitudinal side membersextending between and fixed to said first and second cross members, saidside members being supportably engaged with related gunwales, bracketshinged on longitudinal horizontal axes on said side members, and wheelforks fixed to said brackets, and releasable means for locking thebrackets to the side members in operative positions wherein the forksare located laterally outwardly of the hull sidewalls in verticalpositions, said locking means being releasable to enable the wheel forksto be swung into the boat hull to storage positions, said frame sidemembers having fixed horizontal support plates located intermediatetheir ends, said brackets being L-shaped and having inner normallyhorizontal arms and outer normally pendant vertical arms, said innerarms being hinged on the support plates in the operative positions ofthe brackets, said locking means comprising holes in the inner bracketarms aligned with nuts on said support plates, and removable lockingscrews threaded through the holes and the nuts, one of said frame sidemembers having a downward extension having a nut thereon, a lockingscrew being adapted to be threaded through the hole in the inner arm ofthe bracket adjacent to said extension and through the nut on theextension for holding a wheel fork related to said adjacent bracket downupon the wheel fork related to the other bracket when the wheel forksare disposed within the boat hull in storage positions, the forks beingin overlapping relationship between the first and second frame crossmembers.

3. In combination, a boat hull having a bottom wall, upstandingsidewalls, gunwales extending along the upper edges of the sidewalls,and longitudinally spaced horizontal first and second thwarts extendingbetween said sidewalls, an open frame having first and second crossmembers severally extending along and supportably engaged with the firstand second thwarts, said frame having longitudinal side membersextending between and fixed to said first and second cross members, saidside members being supportably engaged with related gunwales, bracketshinged on longitudinal horizontal axes on said side members, and wheelforks fixed to said brackets, and releasable means for locking thebrackets to the side members in operative positions wherein the forksare located laterally outwardly of the hull sidewalls in verticalpositions, said locking means being releasable to enable the wheel forksto be swung into the boat hull to storage positions, said first andsecond cross members being angle irons having pendant vertical flangesbearing against the facing sides of said thwarts and horizontal flangesbearing upon the upper surfaces of the thwarts, said frame side membersbeing V-shaped and comprising first and second elements fixed at relatedends to said first and second cross members, connecting portionsextending between said first and second elements, said brackets beinghinged on said connecting portions, horizontal supporting plates fixedto said connecting portions and extending laterally outwardly therefrom,said brackets being L-shaped and having inner arms hinged to saidsupporting plates and outer 0 arms to which the wheel forks are fixed,said inner arms being adapted to rest upon said support plates in theoperative positions of the brackets, and said releasable locking meansacting between said inner bracket arms and said support plates andlocking the inner bracket arms on the support plates, said bracketsbeing dimensioned to locate the wheel forks in registered overlappingrelationship between said first and second cross members when swung tostorage positions Within the hull with said locking means released, saidlocking means being removable from a sup- 10 2929079 References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Totten Mar. 22, 1960Wagner Sept. 16, 1958

